Congress Goes Through The Motions On Plugging The Analog Hole

from the just-to-make-their-constituents-happy dept

As was noted earlier this week, Hollywood went to Capitol Hill today to try to push through a way to plug the analog hole by forcing all consumer electronics products to use a watermarking system. While the hearings were held in Congress, for the most part, it sounds like our Congress critters went through the motions to make it sound like they cared. The usual cast of characters made their statements. Fair use supporter Rick Boucher (who has made some noise about allowing a broadcast flag in exchange for a rewrite of the DMCA) said he wasn't convinced this new law was needed. Howard Berman, who once sponsored legislation that would let entertainment firms hack into your computer, stuck with the Hollywood party line, saying that the broadcast flag was needed to prevent "abusive use of technology." However, in the end, it didn't sound like anyone was that enthusiastic about the idea one way or the other. If anything, it sounds like the politicians made their appearance, said what their monetary backers expected them to say, and then walked off and forgot the whole thing. Of course, given how hard the entertainment industry has been pushing for laws like this, it's unlikely they're giving up just yet.

Reader Comments

They need a clue

The entertainment industry needs to get a clue. Who cares? So what if I do record PBS, or the news, or last nights episode of friends. Shouldn't I be able to? Is there any reason to stop me?

So first, they want to air it. Then, they don't want you to be able to record it so that you can watch it again when you forget what some of it is about. Next I bet they come out with programming that fades from your mind by the next morning, thereby eliminating any chance that you unlawfully repeat what was said in their program.

What about political hacking?

The US is so peaceful, with people talking about entertainment industry stuff. The net is inflaming racial tensions in other parts of the world, now that people suddenly have the freedom to say what they want, and defy the media/government.

I figured...

The only way for entertainment companies to stop with this analog hole bullshit and DRM technologies is that... they implement it and see what it works like.

People will avoid "DRM"-ed content and hardware like fire (see for reference the Sony CD scandal), various institutions will claim the laws uncostitutional (reference see the "anti-game" law in Greece declared by EU uncostitutional, courts refuse to sue people by it) and so those dumbasses can figure out this can never work.

As long as they won't succeed to test it in the real world, they'll keep pushing for it, thinking this is the best idea they ever came up with.

Re: I figured...

"The only way for entertainment companies to stop with this analog hole bullshit and DRM technologies is that... they implement it and see what it works like."

And then, maybe the saavy performers will choose to release content on non-protected media that can be shared by the masses, and they might gain popularity based not only on the entertainment value, but for giving the finger to the money grubbing suits and millionaire lawyers that they own.

I grew up in the late 60's & 70's. Yeah, we were somewhat naive, but we distrusted and questioned the establishment in great part because of crass, unprincipled, and amoral materialism (such as huge chromed out gas-hogs, the "war machine", corporate pollution and destruction of natural resources) that surrounded us, and the belief that "I got mine, you go get your own" was dragging society down the wrong road. Maybe we are going to see a bit of a resurgence now with all that is going on around us. IMHO, a reality check can be a good thing every now and then.

So yeah, let them DRM the crap out of everything. I won't buy it, will you?

anything's possible

I don't know that this technology won't work. People listen to the crap that's on the radio, and people follow other absurdisms of capitalsim, like throwing away good food. As long as most people don't understand how it works, they will just follow orders like good little sheep.

DRM Helmet

The MPAA and the RIAA won't stop until all humans are required to wear a DRM helmet that prevents eyes from viewing and ears from hearing any non-DRM content. I'm sure a DRM chip implanted in our brains would also be acceptable to them.

I can't wait for a complete DRM world because once we get there, the recording and movie industry executives won't have the piracy strawman to blame for their companys' poor performance, they will be summarily ousted by irate stockholders, and replaced with enlightened management that understands that suing your customer base and calling them criminals while feeing them second-rate content isn't the way to grow entertainment company.